


When Each Other Just Isn't Enough

by Hpmagic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blake Family Feels, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, but bellarke is endgame, just a heads up in case that's not your cup of tea, there will be clexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hpmagic/pseuds/Hpmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things haven’t always been easy for the Blake siblings.  Life dealt them a cruel hand, but they never let it stop them.  They had each other and that was always enough.  Until suddenly, it wasn’t.  At the end of her freshman year, Octavia Blake decides she wants to transfer out of Ark Institute.  She wants to break out of her shell, find her self.  Which is all well and good . . . except for one thing.  If she leaves Ark Institute, that means leaving her brother.  Bellamy's whole life has revolved around taking care of his sister, and then suddenly she wants to leave? What is Bellamy Blake without his baby sister?  Nothing.  </p>
<p>Enter Clarke Griffin.  A fiery and passionate junior, majoring in pre-med with a minor in studio art.  When she comes in, everything changes for the Blake siblings.  Sometimes change can be a good thing. . . other times, not so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, this is the newly edited version, beta'd by [Pythiaspeaks](http://www.pythiaspeaks.tumblr.com) . Thanks Pythia!

The wind blew gently, ruffling the leaves on the trees.Bellamy Blake leaned his head back against the rough bark of the oak tree in which he had taken up residence.The warm spring afternoon was quiet enough to be peaceful, but not so quiet that he was totally alone with his thoughts.It was the kind of afternoon best spent lounging around outside.Perfect for for spending some much needed chill time with friends, before the oncoming storm that was finals.But here he was, tucked away in his favorite tree on campus, hiding from the world.  

Well, not the world.One person in particular.Just one person who would never cease to drive him absolutely nuts.One person whom he loved more than anything in this world.His precious baby sister. _Not such a baby anymore_ , a voice in his head reminded him.He creased his eyebrows and sighed.  

Running his hands through his hair, he couldn’t help muttering to himself, “why? why is this happening?”

“Why is what happening?” came a bright voice below him.Bellamy looked down, startled.Standing far below, was a petite blonde girl.Well, he couldn’t really be certain of her size, relative distance and all that.But what he could be sure of was the way her golden hair sparkled in the afternoon sun, and the way her light blue sundress fluttered in the breeze.

“Someone’s nosy,” he said gruffly.He wasn’t hiding away from the world, but he certainly wasn’t sitting in a tree so he could make friends.  

“And someone’s not very polite,” she said, unfazed.The tree was at the very edge of the quad, tucked behind a maintenance shed.It’s branches were sturdy, but it had very few that hung low enough to climb.Hence the reason why it was such a good hideout.The only way to get up to the branches was to find the loose panel in the window of the shed, and climb onto the roof.  

“Not looking for conversation, so I figure it doesn’t really matter,” he shrugged.The girl lifted her hand shielding her eyes from the sun.  

“Hey, how did you get up there?” she asked critically.He snorted.

“Why would I tell you?” He shifted slightly, dangling his legs in her direction.He didn’t care if he was being rude, he had meant it when he said he wasn’t interested in conversation.  

“So you come off as less of a jackass?” she quipped, her eyes sparkling mischievously. 

“Someone’s not very polite,” he echoed back at her.  

“Please, compared to you, I have the manners of royalty,” she placed her hands on her hips, as though to intimidate him.  Bellamy smiled inwardly at her brazen behavior.He was ten feet off the ground, and she couldn’t be more that 5’ 4”, yet there she stood.Eyes flashing, trying to goad him into giving up his secrets.“Are you going to tell me or not?”

“I’m gonna go with not. _Princess_ ,” he added as an afterthought, smirking down at her.Bellamy’s comment seemed to have the desired effect.The blonde gave him one more dirty look before she turned on her heel and stormed off.Bellamy watched her go, and then with a sigh, swung his legs back onto the branch.Settling back against the tree, he tried to steer his thoughts back to the real problem at hand.His baby sister.Octavia was a freshman this year at Ark Institute and doing absolutely amazing in all of her classes.Which is why Bellamy couldn’t, for the life of him understand why she wanted to transfer. 

He’dbeen at Ark Institute for almost six years now, working towards a PhD in history, and it felt like home. Bellamy was excited to share his life at Ark Institute with Octavia.Since she was living on campus, as all freshman were required to do, Bellamy didn’t get to see her as often as he would like.Whenever they met for lunch, she would pester him about his classes, and how he was adjusting to living on his own.If Bellamy asked how Octavia’s classes were going, she would brush him off and say everything was going great.It had never occurred to Bellamy that she wasn’t enjoying her time at Ark.He never even thought of it as a possibility.  

 Bellamy had worked his butt off ever since he could remember trying to support her, and keep her in school.Juggling two jobs, while being a full time college student, and taking care of his kid sister had been no easy task. Bellamy fondly remembered the look on her face when she got home from school the day she found out she was accepted to Ark Institute. 

_Bellamy heard the jingle of keys in the door, signaling Octavia’s arrival at home from school.He finished screwing the top on the mayonnaise and threw it into the fridge.He tried not to wince at how the light brightly reflected off the mostly empty plastic shelves.They desperately needed to get groceries but he was trying to hold out until the end of the week, after he picked up his paycheck.He grabbed the tupperware from beside the sink and dropped his ham sandwich into it, snapping the lid on tight.He didn’t particularly like ham, but it was O’s favorite, so he put up with it.Taking an apple from the bowl on the counter, he tossed them both into his backpack for later.Bellamy had started working the graveyard shift at a security firm, this way he could work more hours and not disrupt his class schedule.Bellamy was reaching for his latin textbook when the door finally opened._

_Standing in the doorway was Octavia, now all grown up.She was a high school Senior with overgrown bangs and her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.Her light green eyes were filled to the brim with tears and Bellamy’s heart clenched when he saw them._

_He remembered all too well, the little girl who would come home from middle school with tears streaming down her face.He would hold her and pet her hair while she cried about the kids who had made fun of her that day.Some days it was because of her clothes, often ill fitting and worn, bought from the second hand shop at the end of the road.Some days it was because of her address, located on the outskirts of the district where sirens lulled them to sleep at night.He would tell her it didn’t matter, that the kids at school didn’t matter.They had each other and that was enough. Secretly, Bellamywould hold back tears of his own, and wish that he could afford more than their tiny two bedroom apartment on the 7th floor of a building built a little too close to a sewage plant.It had almost been a relief when she’d went to the high school, and trading her tears for a black eye and a call from her principle. At least then he knew that Octavia could stick up for herself._

_Despite knowing that Octavia was strong, that she could take care of herself,Bellamy couldn’t help but think the worst. During those long, tough years, he had developed the big brother instincts to protect, to soothe and comfort Octavia. He crossed the room in two long strides and pulled Octavia into his arms._

_“What happened O? Was it Atom?”he pulled away for a moment, so he could get a better look at his sister.“I’ll kick his ass I swear to god, if he hurt you–“Octavia silenced him by pulling him back to her, beginning another hug.She squeezed him tight, like she did when she was little, and buried her head in his chest._

_“We did it big brother,” her voice was muffled, almost unintelligible._

_“We did what?” he asked.She loosened her grip and stared up at him through her long bangs, the grin on her face was bigger than any he had ever seen._

_“I got in,” she said, stepping back and holding up a letter in her hand.Bellamy grabbed the letter, his dark eyes scanned it frantically, and he could feel a matching grin spread across his cheeks.Pride bubbled up inside of him.His baby sister had really done it.“I’m going to Ark Institute next year.We did it Bell.”_

_He hugged her again.Lifting her off of her feet and planting a kiss on her head._

_“Put me down Bell!” she laughed, but she didn’t try to break away, or make him put her down._

_“I can’t believe my baby sister got into college.I mean, I can believe it, you’re the smartest person I know O.I’m so proud of you,” he finally put her down. He wiped at his eyes and looked down at Octavia.“Mom would be so proud of you,” his voice cracked, but she had the decency to ignore it._

_“Mom would be so proud of you Bell.This is all because of you.I wouldn’t be here if wasn’t for you,” she said sincerely._

_“You’re my baby sister, I would never let anything bad happen to you,” he said and she rolled her eyes.She shucked off her backpack and headed to the kitchen._

_“Your such a sap,” she teased, “I have to babysit in like 20 minutes, but you don’t work until 7 tomorrow, right?”Bellamy nodded following her.“So that means we’re going out for ice cream to celebrate, right? On you, of course”Bellamy laughed.That was the Octavia he knew and loved._

They had worked so hard to get her here, to Ark Institute. _And now she’s just going to leave_ , his stomach churned at the thought.He looked over at some students, laying out in the sun on the other side of the quad.He could make out the girl who had been been bothering him not too long ago, her golden hair dancing as she threw back her head and laughed.She was pointing in his direction and talking to a guy with dirty blond hair.She finished her conversation and picked up a backpack, heading towards the tree. _Maybe if I pretend to be asleep she’ll leave me alone_.It definitely seemed like a long shot, but he figured it was worth a try.Closing his eyes, he tried make himself seem as unresponsive as possible.  

A few minutes later, he heard rustling beneath him. 

“One, sleeping in a tree is a terrible idea. And two, I know you're not really asleep,” came the voice from before.He groaned loudly. 

“How do you know that I don’t just fall asleep really fast,” he said, opening his eyes warily.

“I don’t, but if you had been asleep, you wouldn’t have heard me.No harm no foul,” she said lightly, while throwing her backpack onto the roof of the maintenance shed.She bent down to untie her sandals, kicking them off carelessly.  

“You’re really going to climb up her in a dress, Princess?” he said.“It’s a bit breezy for that, don’t you think?”She stuck her hand in the top corner of tiny window on the shed.She wiggled her hand around for a moment.She let out a triumphantsound and he knew she must’ve found the loose panel that allowed the window to be opened from the outside.  

“l’ll take my chances,” she said, pushing open the window.It didn't take her long to scramble up to the roof, using the open window as foothold.The breeze picked up, but again, she didn’t seem very concerned.Bellamy saw a flash of black spandex shorts and realized he was watching her a little too closely.Clearing his throat self consciously, he averted his gaze.Once on the roof, she put her backpack on her shoulders and leapt onto the closest branch.She climbed the tree gracefully, settling on the branch closest to him.

Bellamy let his eyes drift towards the small blonde.She was flipping through the pages of a large grey sketchbook.Bellamy saw dozens of drawings, ranging from full color portraits, to roughly sketched landscapes.There were even several sketches of the very tree they sat in.When she looked up, her blue eyes gazed directly at him.  

“It’s rude to look over other people’s shoulder,” she said, pulling a pencil case out of her bag without breaking eye contact.Bellamy’s cheeks grew warm.He let his gaze drop, choosing to study the limb of the tree he was sitting on instead of the planes of her face.

“Well, like I said before, I’m not too worried about putting you off,” Bellamy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.He knew it was probably Octavia looking for him, but he was still too upset about the conversation they had earlier.If he answered the phone now, he would just end up saying something he’d regret.Bellamy let his thoughts wander, listening to the quiet scratching of her pencil against the paper of the sketchbook.

After a while he chanced another quick look at her sketchbook, his mouth fell open in surprise.Bellamy saw himself, sprawled out on the branch, looking off into the distance. The sketch was good. Really good.It had his freckles, and the dimple in his chin.She had even managed to capture a faraway look in his eyes.He felt a tug in his stomach and brushed it off as embarrassment.

“Captivated by my good looks, I see,” Bellamy said lightly, trying to distract himself from the feeling.  

“Hardly.”She resumed sketching.“Remember what I said about looking over people’s shoulders,” she added, a little defensively.Bellamy could see the slightest hint of a blush creeping onto her cheeks.Her words indicated that she didn’t want to be watched, but she didn’t move.Her sketchbook was still very clearly in Bellamy’s line of view.Bellamy bit his lip, considering his next words.

“Why are you drawing me?” 

“I like to draw things that make me feel,” she answered easily.She didn’t even have to stop her sketching this time.Bellamy felt the same tug in his stomach. 

“I make you _feel_ things,” he said with a mischievous smile.“What kind of things?”

This got her attention.She picked her head up and looked him straight in the eyes.“Annoyance,” she said evenly.The blush was still on her cheeks, which made Bellamy think there may be more to it than that.“Now, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m not really looking for conversation.So I if you could just return to brooding in silence, that would be good.”She returned to her drawing. 

Bellamy felt his smile fade.“Artists,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.He went back to contemplating the problem at hand, Octavia’s proposed transfer, but he found his thoughts kept wandering back to the girl sitting next to him.

“Bellamy Blake, sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S–“ came a singsong voice from below.

“I swear to god, O, if you finish that statement–“

“If I finish that statement you’ll what?” Bellamy could practically hear his sister rolling her eyes at him.Sure enough, when he looked down, he saw Octavia with a hand on her hip.She had her head tilted at an angle, making it clear that she was calling his bluff.

“Just don’t, okay,” he conceded.  Bellamy could just make out the smug grin on Octavia’s face, the one she always made when she knows she’s won.“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“Don’t I know it,” she said sweetly, switching gears, she directed her next question at the person sitting next to him.“Who’s your lovely lady?”

The girl next to him laughed, it was light and musical, Bellamy found himself admiring the cadence.“I’m as much _his_ lady, as he is a knight in shining armor.And I’m Clarke, Clarke Griffin.”

“Is he in a mood again?” Octavia asked narrowing her eyes in his direction.  

“What do you want O?”Bellamy wasn’t very pleased that his sister had managed to find him.He was even less pleased that she was acting like nothing had happened.The reason Bellamy had come to this spot in the first place was to get some space and clear his head.It was becoming increasingly clear that wasn’t going to happen.

“I came to make sure that you weren’t _sulking_ ,” she said over dramatically, making sure to emphasize his moodiness.Clarke snickered, trying to cover it up with a cough.  

“Got something to say, Princess,” he shot at her.His patience was wearing thin.

“Oh, he’s been sulking big time,” Clarke said, directing her statement to Octavia.  

“Thanks a lot,” he huffed.

“Oh I’m sorry, was that rude,” she said with a smirk.She closed her sketch book and stuffed it in her bag.After taking a moment to tie her loose hair into a knot on top of her head, she lowered herself down the tree and made her way to the ground.  

“I’m waiting Bell,” Octavia said impatiently, her foot tapping. Bellamy sighed deeply and made his way down to the ground.

He heard his sister introduce herself to Clarke. 

“Octavia, you look familiar,” Clarke said, squinting her eyes.He saw her eyes widen, “I know you from my painting class.”

“O? Painting? Fat chance,” Bellamy scoffed.To the best of Bellamy’s knowledge, his sister had never stepped foot in an art studio, let alone picked up a paint brush.  

“She is the subject, of a painting in my art class.Thank you for your input though,” Clarke said cooly, looking at him briefly.“Courtesy of Lincoln, I believe.”

“Oh.Cool,” Octavia said, her nonchalant tone contrasting with the smile playing on her lips.Bellamy scowled.She turned her attention to him,“You and I have got some business to discuss.”

“You wouldn’t want to exclude our present company, O.That would be rude,” he said gesturing to Clarke.

“That’s okay, I need to excuse myself anyway.I have to get back to the studio and work on a few things,” she said quickly.“It was nice to meet you Octavia,” she added warmly, smiling at the girl.Octavia smiled back, it looked like she wanted to say something.“If I see Lincoln, should I tell him you say hi?” Clarke asked with a knowing smile.  

“Um, sure,” Octavia said lightly, “Yeah, that would be great.”She grabbed Bellamy’s arm and began to lead him away.“Hopefully I’ll see you around,” she said over her shoulder.  

“Yeah, I hope so,” Clarke said, “bye–“

“Bellamy, my grump of a brother,” Octavia offered, answering her unasked question.

“Bye Bellamy,” Clarke said, the ghost of a smile on her face.

Bellamy started to say goodbye, but she had already turned away.He swallowed his words, and watched her leave. 

“You are such a dork,” Octavia said from beside him.Bellamy tore his eyes away from Clarke and looked at his sister.  

“You’re such a dork. _Uh say hi to Lincoln for me_ ,” he said in poor imitation of Octavia.She punched him the shoulder.

“Shut up, let’s go.I’m starving,” Octavia said,pulling him in the other direction. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! If you have any thoughts, concerns, and/or constructive criticisms I would love to hear them :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter 2, once again, thank you to Pythia for being a wonderful beta reader! This one is told from Octavia's point of view . . . and I'll let the story do the rest of the talking.

“Bell, we’ve been over this a million times,” Octavia Blake sighed running her hands through her hair.She was sitting in the dining hall of Ark Institute, her tray of food pushed aside.Across from her, looking just as frazzled as she felt, was a young man of twenty three.The one person in the world who she was closest to.The person who could read her thoughts and sometimes figure out what was wrong even before she had worked it out herself.Except not today.She had never felt further away from her brother than she did in this very moment.  

“And I still don’t understand how you could want to leave O,” Bellamy too had abandoned his dinner.She could see the frustration written all over his face.She knew he was trying to understand her point of view, but he wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Bell, Ark has been great for you.I know you love it here, and I’m so happy that you do,” Octavia held her breath, “but this just isn’t the place for me.”She watched as her brother shook his head in disbelief.“Look Bell, I just need to get away.I need some room to breathe, some space.”She knew she’d said the wrong thing when she saw his eyes flash.There was pain there, and he wasn’t even trying to hide it.  

“What the hell, O.You sound like you're breaking up with me.For fucks sake!” his voice had risen above the din and some girls at the table next to them looked over scandalized.  

“Minding your business, ever heard of it?” Octavia spat at them.They gave a dirty look and turned away.She stuck her tongue out at the back of their heads and turned back to her brother.“Don’t be so overdramatic Bell, I’m not breaking up with you.”She rolled her eyes and put her head in her hands.She knew her brother was waiting for her to say something, but she had spent the last hour and half saying everything she could think.There was nothing left for her to explain. “You can be real thick sometime, Bell.You know that?”she lifted her head.

“O, you seem so happy every time I talk to you.I know you’re doing great in your classes,” he began, but Octavia didn’t want to hear it.She held up her hand to silence him.  

“You don’t know anything, Bell.You think you know everything about me, but you haven’t even taken the time to listen to me.Like really listen to me.I hate my classes! They're boring as fuck–“

“Watch your language,” he shot.Octavia’s hand curled into a fist, she was getting tired of his overprotective big brother act.She took a deep breath.

“Are you kidding me! That’s what you hear?” she could feel her face heating up and she knew that her volume was starting to rise.She couldn’t focus on anything other than pounding in her ears.“I’m not happy here Bell!In fact, I hate it! I hate this!” she gestured frantically between them. Bellamy’s eyes widened.“Do I have your attention now big brother?” she broke off, breathing heavily.  

“O,” Bellamy said softly.He reached out across the table, but she snatched her hand out of his reach.  

“Don’t _O_ me,” she replied venomously.“You act like you know what’s going on in my head.Like you have my whole life figured out, but you don’t.You don’t know what I’m going through, you don’t know how hard it’s been for me.” Octavia’s thoughts were running a mile a minute and she could barely keep up with them.“I’m pretty sure my roommate hates me, like really hates me.Have you noticed how I haven’t introduced you to any of my friends?That’s because I don’t have any Bell!”She paused, shaking her head.Her brother was staring blankly at her.Her fists were clenched so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into her palms.“I’ve never even been out of this shit hole of a town Bellamy.Don’t you understand that I’m suffocating here!I need to just get away.I need to be free, for once in my life,”she said slamming her fist on the table.  

“You think I don’t know what it feels like O?” Bellamy said, his voice quiet and trembling.She could see his hands gripping the edge of the table.“You think I don’t know what it feels like to be stuck.To have a dead weight strapped to your ankle.Holding you back and holding you down.18 years O! That’s how long it’s been since I’ve been since I’ve been able to breathe on my own,” his face was darkening, and she knew he was reaching the end of his rope.  

“Just say it Bell,” Octavia spat.She knew she shouldn’t antagonize him any further, he practically had steam pouring out of his ears.  Bellamy’s hands were balled into fists, knuckles white.But she wasn’t a child anymore and she was tired of him treating her like one. 

“My life ended the day you were born!” he roared.He stood up, chair legs screeching on the worn tiled floor.The dining hall quieted.She knew people were staring, but she didn’t care.Octavia could feel a lump forming in the back of her throat. _I will not cry in front of these people_ , she told herself.“Six years ago when Mom died was the last day I lived for myself.Since then everything has revolved around you.Octavia needs new shoes, Octavia needs new gym shorts.Do you know how fucking hard it is to take care of a fucking kid, when you’re eighteen years old?” he wasn’t even trying to hold back tears of his own.  

“Well congratulations then big brother,” she said her voice barely more than a whisper, jumping to her feet.She tore her backpack off the back of her chair.“Because you don’t have to take care of me anymore! I’ll be out of your hair and you can finally breathe again,” she shoved her arms through the straps.“I’m sorry I’ve been such a fucking drain on you,” she spat, the words like acid on her tongue.Shoving her chair in so hard it fell over, she saw Bellamy wince.Whether it was from the clattering of the wooden chair on the floor, or the fury of her words she wasn’t sure.However she had no interest in sticking around to find out. 

Octavia spun on her heels and raced towards the door.The line of students waiting to scan their meal cards parted when she approached.No one stood in her way and for that she was grateful.It was hard enough running away from her brother, especially when he was so angry at her.They had come back from worse, _and this time will be no different_ , she told herself, _I am not afraid, it doesn’t matter, I don’t need anyone but myself._ Even in her own head, the words sounded hollow and lifeless.  

“O! O this isn’t over, we’re not done here,” Bellamy yelled after her, but she had already made up her mind.All she wanted to do now was put as much distance between her and her brother as possible.  

The intensity of the sun caught her off guard when she exited the dining hall.She blinked rapidly, letting her eyes adjust from the fluorescent tube lights in the dining hall to the brilliant light of the afternoon sun. Breathing heavily, she scanned her surroundings. _Where can I go that he won’t be able to find me_? Octavia asked herself, desperate to be alone.Her head was swimming with thoughts and she needed to think.

_“O? Painting? Fat chance”_ the words Bellamy had said earlier echoed in her head. _Perfect_ , she decided, taking off in the direction of the art building.  

* * *

Octavia arrived outside Wallace Hall ten minutes later, covered in sweat, her dark hair plastered to her forehead.Clutching her side, she let her lungs have a moment to rest.Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her shorts. 

“God, take a hint,” she hissed, plunging her hand in her pocket. 

“Have I done something to offend you?” came a confused voice from beside her.  

Octavia froze.Standing next to her was the blonde girl from earlier. _Claire?_ she thought, _No, but it was definitely ‘Cl’ something._ “No, it’s not you, it’s –“ she broke off, still catching her breath.“Whew, I gotta work out more.”

“Trust me, you look plenty fit,” the girl said with a bright smile.“I’m Clarke, we actually just met like an hour or two ago.”

“Clarke, right, I remember you,”Octavia pulled her phone out of her pocket, glaring at the screen. _2 missed calls from: Big Brother._ Quickly dismissing the alerts, she shoved her phone back into her pocket.

“You seem like you were in a hurry,” Clarke said.“If you were hoping to catch Lincoln, I’m afraid you’ve just missed him.”

“What? I was, um,“ Octavia muttered distractedly, looking back at the direction she had come from.“Could we take this inside,” she said, whipping her head back to Clarke. 

“Uh, sure?” Clarke looked confused but swiped her key card on the door. Octavia rushed past her.  

Once the door had fallen shut and Octavia heard the click signaling it had locked, she let herself relax.  

“I take it you weren’t looking for Lincoln then?” Clarke said, her voice echoing through the empty hall.  

“I was running from my asshole brother,” Octavia said darkly, sliding down to the floor.She put her head between her knees and tried to let her heart slow, but it seemed to have other ideas.It continued to bang relentlessly against her chest, demanding to be felt.  

“Ah, my knight in shining armor, I remember him,” Clarke said, letting her bag drop to the ground.“Do you want to talk about?”

Octavia considered the offer.Her first instinct was to refuse.She knew better than to air her problems to the world.All that had ever led to was more questions, and nosy social workers.Clarke wasn’t a school psychologist, she wasn’t required by law to report suspicious findings to CPS.Maybe it could be nice to talk to someone about how she was feeling.Someone who she didn’t need to put on a front for, someone who hadn’t spent their whole life taking care of her. _It’s not like her happiness is dependent on whether or not I’m doing okay_ , Octavia reminded herself. 

“I’d be interested in not talking about it,” Octavia said finally, lifting her head to look at Clarke.The girl raised an eyebrow.“In the presence of another person.” Clarke smiled knowingly.  

“I see, would you like to do that not in the middle of the hallway?” Clarke asked, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear.She held out a hand in Octavia’s direction.

“What did you have in mind?,” Octavia asked, reaching out to grab it.

“I may or may not have a bottle of vodka in my locker,” Clarke said with a shrug. 

“I like the way you think,” Octavia responded with a smile.She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.“So how come this place is so empty.Isn’t this the art building?I’ve heard so much about Wallace Hall and I sort of imagined it would be more–“

“Artsy?” Clarke offered. 

“Yeah, artsy,” Octavia said, snapping her fingers.So far the walls nothing but plain concrete.It seemed so boring and lackluster.“It certainly isn’t living up to the hype.”As they rounded the corner, her mouth opened in surprise.

Clarke laughed, “Is this artsy enough for you?” 

Lining the walls were dozens of tall metal lockers, each one covered in a different design.There was a set of six, each painted solidly a different color of the rainbow.There was one completely decked out in feathers.There were several covered in intricate tribal patterns.Octavia was pretty sure that at the far end of the hall there was one covered completely in baby bottle nipples.  

“Yeah, I think I’d like to retract my previous statement,” Octavia said, a smile stretching across her cheeks, “Wow, this is so sweet.”She stopped to look at a locker that looked like a relief painting of a forest.It had a clear blue river that started in the top right corner and wound down to the bottom left.There were all sorts of different trees, and animals.She looked closer at a deer sipping water from the stream near the bottom of the locker.“Does that deer have–“ she started, looking over at Clarke.

“Two heads? Yes,” she shrugged.“I was feeling sort of divided that day, so I figured my deer should too.”

“This one is yours?” Octavia asked, her mouth wide open.Clarke nodded her head.“Wow, that’s amazing.You’re like, crazy talented,”she turned back to the locker.

“Thanks,” Clarke said quietly.“Do you mind if I pop in?” she asked, gesturing towards the lock.

“What? Oh yeah, sorry,” Octavia said, moving out of the way. 

After that they went down a few more hallways and then Clarke stopped in front of a dark grey door.It looked like the sky just before a storm.It was a mix of gray and black and purple.It looked like the sky was ready to split open at any second.  

“Here we are,” Clarke said.Octavia wanted to stand there and look at the door for hours, but she fought the urge and followed.The room looked like a bomb had gone off. Well, more like several tiny and very different bombs had gone off at strategic locations throughout the room.There were several long tables that didn’t seem to be placed in any particular pattern.Each table was completely covered in art supplies.There were some that were more organized than others.Clarke seemed to be heading for the messiest one, all the way in the back corner.“This is my station, sorry it’s such a mess.” 

Octavia’s attention was drawn to the easel set up at the end of the table. There was a drop cloth pooled on the ground below it, absolutely covered in every color paint imaginable.The canvas itself was covered in dark angry colors, swirling deep grays, and blues.There were smatterings of bright red paint all over it.Her breath caught in her throat.“Whoa, that’s intense,” Octavia said without thinking. 

“Thanks, it’s got a lot of, well,” Clarke fumbled over her words.“I’ve been working on it for a while, trying to get it right.I’m not sure if it really says what I’m going for yet.It’s a work in progress.”

“It’s amazing,” Octavia said, “you really know how to tell a story.”She turned back around to Clarke who was rinsing out some cups in the sink.  

“Thanks.I owe it to my mother,” she said lightly.Octavia raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Clarke placed the cups on the table and dropped her bag onto the floor.“So, a lot or a little?” 

Octavia thought briefly, “don’t hold back, if I’m gonna feel like hell in the morning, it better be worth it.”

“That’s a plan I can get behind,” Clarke said with a mischievous smile as she poured a generous amount into each cup.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go. I hope you liked it. Tensions are running high between the Blake siblings . . . d r a m a, am I right? No, I should just stop. Sorry. Anyways, questions, comments, concerns, constructive criticisms . . . always welcome and appreciated :) I should have chapter 3 all done and ready to post very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken me fifty thousand years, I'm the literal worst, I know. Just a heads up, there is some talk of death/implied abuse (implied, but not talked about) in this chapter, so if you're sensitive to that sort of thing . . . heads up

Bellamy had been friends with Nathan Miller for as long as he could remember.Before he was old enough to look after himself, his mom would drop him off at the Miller’s house when she had to go to work.Nathan, who preferred to be called by his last name only, and Bellamy became friends instantly.They always had fun playing together and Miller never complained when Octavia came into the picture.Not even when Bellamy had to stop playing with dinosaurs and attend to his crying sister.On the days when Octavia was especially challenging, Miller would just turn it into a game of house, that way Bellamy didn't have to do it alone.

Bellamy was devastated the day his mom told him they were moving to a new apartment across town.She told him that he wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch anymore.Bellamy would get to share a room with Octavia and they would have lots of fun together; but he wanted to have fun with his friend, not his baby sister.Miller was three years younger than him so they didn’t get to see each other very much in school.The bus ride was BellMill time, as they liked to call it, and he didn’t want to give that up.Bellamy spent the day crying and screaming until his throat was sore, begging his mom not to make him leave.  

It took all day for him to wear his mom down, but finally later that evening she snapped.She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to her room, making him stand in the doorway and look at his sleeping sister.Octavia was three at the time, she looked like a little doll curled up in his mother’s bed.Octavia was the quietest baby he had ever encountered, even to this day.She could sleep through anything, and an older brother throwing a temper tantrum was nothing to her.  

“You’re not a baby anymore Bellamy Blake.You need to stop acting like one.That little girl right there is your sister, do you understand that?Your sister, your responsibility.She needs you to take care of her.She needs you to protect her.How can you do that if you stay here with your friend?Is your friend more important than your sister? Your own family?”His mother had passed out on the couch shortly after giving him that speech, but young Bellamy took the wordsto heart.  

Bellamy had marched across the hall to Miller’s apartment and told him he was moving.They would no longer be riding the bus together, and they would have to stop being friends.When Miller asked him why, Bellamy said that he had a little sister to take care of, and he wouldn’t have time for friends anymore.Miller just laughed it off and said he would sneak away during recess to come and eat lunch with Bellamy’s grade.

As Bellamy grew older, he had less time to spend with Miller.Octavia went from being a quiet toddler to a rambunctious young girl.Any time Bellamy wasn’t mowing lawns or shoveling driveways was spent babysitting her.By the time Octavia was old enough to look out for her self, Bellamy was old enough to get a part time job.But Miller still stuck around.He made sure to drag his dad grocery shopping on the days when Bellamy was stocking shelves.They would talk while David shopped, Miller acting like a confused customer if Bellamy’s manager came around.Miller even got a job as a bag boy once he was old enough.Bellamy knew Miller must have been bribing their manager because somehow every time he was assigned to the register, Miller was there, bagging away.Miller seemed to understand that Bellamy didn't have much time to hang out or goof off, like other kids did.Miller was always there to welcome him with open arms, no matter how much time had passed since they last saw each other.

***

Bellamy awoke to the sound of gentle snoring in his ear.He lay there with his eyes shut, trying desperately not to let the fog of sleep drift away.His brain vaguely registered the sensation of moisture on his shoulder and the scent of pine soap.Bellamy felt calm and there was a fuzzy warmth that surrounded him.It could only mean one thing.  

“Miller you’re drooling all over me,” he murmured to the body beside him.It shifted lazily and muttered something incoherent.“No idea what you just said,” his eyes were still closed, but he could feel the light trying to worm it’s way in.

“I said I don’t care leave me alone,” the young man beside him groaned.Miller seemed to care slightly more than he let on though, because he rolled over to face the wall instead.

Bellamy tried to burrow deeper into his pillow.The morning light still pursued him, and he decided it wasn’t worth the fight.Scooting his body over, he leaned into Miller and whispered, “Psst, dude, I’m hungry.”

“And I’m sleeping.”

“Have you tried not sleeping?” Bellamy asked, tugging on the comforter that his friend was buried under. 

“I need my beauty sleep,” Miller groaned halfheartedly, rotating onto his back at a glacial pace.Cracking open an eye, he appraised Bellamy, “what time is it anyway?”

“Probably way earlier than it should be,” Bellamy said, gesturing to the sunlight that was filtering through the curtains.“Plus, you’ve already reached maximum beauty level,” he teased.

“Why can’t you just sleep in like a normal person?” Miller asked, failing to stifle a yawn.“It’s your day off man, you're supposed to sleep in.”

“Because sleep is for the weak,” Bellamy said with a shrug.Miller gave him a look that made it clear he was not satisfied with Bellamy’s answer.Bellamy just shoved Millers shoulder playfully, “come on Mill, I’m hungry.”

“You’re such a whiney baby,” Miller said forcing himself into a sitting position.  

“And you're the best friend I could ever ask for,” Bellamy said leaning his body into Miller’s shoulder.  

“You’re only saying that because you want me to make you french toast,”Miller said matter of fact, throwing the blanket off the both of them.

“So what if I am,” Bellamy said defensively.Withering under Miller’s pointed gaze, he added a conciliatory, “you know me to well.”

“Damn right I do, now please tell me you didn’t drink all my coffee,” Miller said as he pushed himself off the bed.  

Bellamy was pretty sure his sheepish smile was all the answer Miller needed.He added a self righteous, “I cannot be held responsible for what I do at four thirty in the morning,” as a precaution.  

Miller rolled his eyes, “you’re lucky I hate all that raisin bran crap or else I’d just leave you to fend for yourself.”

“I’m not the one who likes raisin bran,” Bellamy said quickly, holding up his hands.“That’s O. _Oh_ ,” he said dejectedly as the events of the previous day came rushing back to him.He put his head in his hands and groaned, “I messed up _so_ bad.”  

The floor creaked and Bellamy knew Miller was standing above him, shifting his weight from sided to side.The way he always did when he was deliberating something.“Fine, I’ll make sausages too,” Miller sighed.

Bellamy smiled despite the dull ache of regret he felt toward the actions of the previous day.Miller had that kind of effect on him, helping him to see past the bad stuff.Bellamy always felt like Miller treated him better than he deserved.

***

At the beginning of Bellamy’s senior year of high school, Aurora Blake started spending less time at home, and more time out on business.It had always been difficult for Bellamy and Octavia, knowing what their mom had to do to pay the bills.Their mother never spoke about it, but Bellamy noticed the bruises on her neck that peeked out of the edge of her collar.Bellamy saw the way that she would hurry to cover them up if she noticed him staring.He heard the the hushed voices in the halls of his school, the ones that gossiped about what his mother did when she was out on business, and who she did it with.

That year had started out different though.On the rare occasion his mom ate dinner at home, she would treat them to take out.She would pop in a movie and they would eat on the couch.She still didn’t talk about her work, but Bellamy didn’t notice any marks on her and thought maybe things were finally looking up.Sometimes his mother would bring home little gifts for them too.A pair of earrings or a shawl for Octavia, a leather bound book of Greek mythology for Bellamy.It was unlike anything him or his sister had ever experienced, they certainly weren’t going to complain.Bellamywas able to quit his job at the grocery store, giving him more time to focus on his school work.His mother was thrilled when she found out that he was planning to apply to Ark Institute, a great school, with a good scholarship program.Most importantly, it was close to home, only half an hour away, something his mother seemed particularly keen on.Bellamy had rolled his eyes at her over protective behavior, but secretly he was over the moon.Even though his mom was around less, he had never felt more like a normal family.

Four months before his eighteenth birthday, his mom stopped coming home.It lasted for about a month.His mom would call them every few days to check on them.She said that it was just a business trip and she would be home soon, but Bellamy could recognize the tone in her voice that signaled she was lying.It was the same voice she had used when he asked her about the rumors he heard at school.Bellamy was furious, things had been so good between them.He cursed himself for letting his guard down, and letting their mother fool him into a false sense of security.He should’ve know that it was too good to be true.Octavia was crushed by their mother’s disappearance, and Bellamy was pissed at her for that too.Of all the things Bellamy had to protect his baby sister from, he never thought that their mother would be one of them.Bellamy was so angry he could barely hold a civil conversation with Octavia.He ignored Miller completely.

Three months before his eighteenth birthday was the last time he or Octavia received a phone call from their mother.One week later, after receiving a rudely worded eviction notice from their landlord indicating the rent had not been payed, Bellamy made a call of his own.It took the police two days to find his mother’s body.Three days after that, a social worker showed up at their apartment.  

_Bellamy slammed the door of his beat up Honda Civic and ran up the steps of well worn, but dignified apartment building.He jammed his fingers on the keypad, but they were shaking so badly he could hardly press the right numbers. * - 6 - 4 - 5 he pressed.It seemed like forever before he heard a tired voice through the speaker._

_“Miller residence?”_

_“She’s gone,” Bellamy choked out.He swiped at the tears on his cheeks._

_“What – who is this?”_

_“Mill she’s gone, they took her,” it took all of Bellamy’s strength not to collapse on the steps.He was holding onto the intercom like it was a lifeline. “They took her away.”_

_“Bellamy?”_

_“Mill she’s gone,” Bellamy whispered, but he wasn’t even sure if Miller would be able to hear him.All of Bellamy’s energy had been spent trying to get himself to this spot.Bellamy knew that if he could just make it to Miller’s building, his friend would help him.No matter what.Bellamy looked up when the door opened._

_Standing there was a boy who looked about fifteen.He had dark skin and was wearing a pale purple shirt with a black beanie.The boy reached out and Bellamy collapsed into his arms, sobbing.Miller rubbed small circles on his back and whispered calming words into his ear.At some point Miller must’ve ushered Bellamy inside because the next thing Bellamy could remember was the ding of the elevator and then the apartment door locking behind him._

_“Shhhh, it’s gonna be okay Bell.It’s gonna be okay, I promise,” Miller whispered.An older man set two mugs down on the coffee table in the living room.Before the man turned back into his bedroom, he laid a strong hand on Bellamy’s shoulder, silently offering condolences.Miller’s father worked at the Police station downtown, Bellamy knew he must have already heard the news._

_Miller led Bellamy to the couch and forced him to sit down.Bellamy curled up into a ball and Miller wrapped his arms wrapped around him.Bellamy cried until he had no more tears left, and even then he stayed there in Miller’s arms, staring blankly ahead.It wasn’t until a hint of red began to appear on the horizon that Bellamy finally moved._

_Bellamy reached out to grab one of the mugs, he could see that Miller had already finished his. The had turned cold, but it tasted of peppermint and Bellamy welcomed the tingling sensation, it soothed his raw throat.Bellamy’s eyes were swollen and heavy with sleep, but he forced them to stay open,_

_“Miller, what am I going to do?” Bellamy croaked, turning his eyes towards Miller.Bellamy’s voice came out rough.It was likely due to the amount of screaming that he had done earlier.He certainly wasn’t going to let his sister go with out a fight.Bellamy noticed that Miller’s eyes were slightly swollen as well.It was clear that Bellamy wasn’t the only one who had been crying.He felt a rush of warmth for his best friend._

_“We’re gonna get her back,” Miller said simply.Miller made is sound so easy, for a moment Bellamy almost believed it could be._

_“How?” Bellamy asked quietly.He took another long sip of tea, hoping it would revive his tired vocal cords.At the very least he hoped it would sooth his aching throat._

_“You turn eighteen in two months, then you can petition the court to become her legal guardian,” Miller said seriously.Bellamy drank more of his tea, thinking over the words that Miller had said._

_“Do you think they’d let me?I don’t know how to raise a kid Mill, what if something bad happens?Oh my god, what if something bad happens and I’m not there for her?I can’t believe I let them take her.I should've fought harder, I shouldn't have let them–“_

_“Bell, calm down,” Miller said placing a firm hand on Bellamy’s arm.“You already have a job, you can get another one if you have to.You can stay here until we can find a place you a new apartment.All you have to do is show them that you can take care of her.And Bellamy,”Miller paused, waiting to make sure he had Bellamy’s attention.When Bellamy nodded, he continued, “you will be able to take care of her.I know it.You’ll get her back.”_

_Bellamy sniffled loudly, feeling more tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.He wanted so badly for the words Miller was saying to be true.A part of him said that Miller couldn’t possibly know what he was taking about.Miller was only fifteen, Bellamy had almost three years more experience of the harsh realities of the world.The other part of him said that Miller had never let him down before.Why would this time be any different.For once Bellamy wanted to let someone comfort him.He had to believe that Miller was right, or else there was nothing left for him._

_“You look like you could use some rest, I’ll go get you some blankets?How does that sound?”Miller asked, standing up.Before Bellamy could stop himself, he had reached out and grabbed Miller’s arm._

_“After I called the police, Octavia couldn’t sleep so I let her sleep in my bed and I haven’t slept since by myself since–“ Bellamy gulped.The police had found his mothers body three days ago, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say out loud._

 

_“Come sleep with me,” Miller said immediately.“Then my dad won’t wake you when he gets up for work.”Bellamy nodded, and let Miller lead him into his room._

_* * *_

Twenty minutes after Miller had started breakfast, Bellamy emerged from the bathroom.A pair of old flannel pajama pants covered his lower half, and he was towel drying his air.Bellamy’s mouth watered at the scent of french toast and sausage. 

“Smells good,” he called to Miller in the kitchen.

“Psshh, good? More like amazing,” Miller yelled back at him.“You should wake up sleeping beauty soon if you have any shred of decency in that stupid head of yours.I’m cooking now and not later, so this is his only chance to eat something other than stupid bran flake,” Miller said sincerely, gesturing to the figure passed out on the couch. 

“It’s raisin bran and can’t we just save some for him to eat later?” Bellamy asked hopefully.He looked to the couch where his friend John Murphy was sprawled out.Murphy was snoring lightly, dead to the world.Bellamy did not want to be the one who tried to change that.  

“Are you out of you mind?”Miller yelped scandalized.“My food is meant to be enjoyed promptly after it has been made.It’s got no business lying around to be eaten as _leftovers._ ”Miller shuddered at the word, and Bellamy rolled his eyes.

“Always so dramatic,” Bellamy muttered, throwing his towel down on the floor.He padded over to the couch and stared at Murphy’s sleeping figure.Bellamy had never truly appreciated what a blessing it was to wake someone up and not fear being strangled to death until he meant John Murphy.Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Bellamy tentatively reached for a lock of Murphy’s overgrown hair, and gave it a gently tug.Bellamy jumped back instinctively, silencing Millers bark of laughter with a look of reproach.

“It’s your funeral man,”Miller said, sliding a piece of perfectly golden brown french toast onto a plate.Bellamy tentatively reached forward and pulled on another lock of hair.Murphy’s hand twitched, giving Bellamy just enough time to jump out of the way before Murphy’s fist reached the spot where his groin had just been.Reaching over, Bellamy grabbed a corner of the blanket and stepped out of the range of Murphy’s fist.

“Piss off,” Murphy groaned, still swinging his arm wildly.

“Time for food,”Bellamy said with a lopsided grin as he watched his friend punch the air uselessly. 

“Give me fucking blanket before I strangle you Blake,” Murphy grumbled, using one of his hands to shield his eyes.

“Miller made breakfast, and he demands that it be consumed the moment he is finished making it,” Bellamy said, throwing the blanket at Murphy’s face.

“You’re such an asshole,” came Murphy’s muffled voice from under the blanket.Bellamy tapped Murphy’s feet signaling he wanted a spot on the couch.Murphy quickly drew his legs up to his chest, and threw the blanket over the rest of his body. 

A moment later, Miller came over with three plates balanced on his arms and one steaming mug of black coffee.Miller set them down on the table gracefully.Bellamy wasn’t surprised when a moment later, one of Murphy’s hands reached out from under the blanket and grabbed the cup of coffee.

“Bleh, needs sugar,” Murphy said bitterly.Miller rolled his eyes and sat down in the middle of the couch.Reaching out for a plate, Bellamy made a sound of contentment as soon as he bit into his first bite of french toast. 

Soon enough, Murphy emerged from under the blanket, placing the empty coffee cup on the table.He proceeded to eat his french toast as though he hadn’t just spent the past several minutes drinking coffee under his blanket like some sort of addict.“TV,” Murphy demanded through a mouthful of sausage. 

Bellamy reached for the clicker and turned on the Saturday morning cartoons.The three of them sat there in companionable silence except for the scraping of forks on plates, and the occasional slurp of coffee.  

“So Bellamy, since Octavia’s moving out can I have her room?” Murphy said on a commercial break, halfway through their second episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.Miller elbowed Murphy in the side, but Bellamy ignored the comment.John Murphy wasn’t known for being the most tactful person around, and Bellamy had learned early on in their friendship, not to be offended by it.“Jeez, Miller, it was a joke,” Murphy said rolling his eyes.“Seriously though Bellamy, Octavia can be a real bitch sometimes.”This earned Murphy a smack from Miller, but he kept going, “but she’ll get over it.She’ll be all self righteous and angry about it for a while, but she’ll get over it, just like she always does.” 

Bellamy smiled and reached a hand along the back of the couch to ruffle Murphy’s hair, “you’re not to bad Murph, ya know that?” 

“Ssshhh, it’s back on,” Miller said, swatting at Bellamy.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it? I'm not 100% happy with this chapter because I feel like Bellamy is a little out of character (hence the fifty thousand year wait in between chapters). Miller and Murphy are fun though, so I hope that makes up for it. I've already written the next chapter, and I just have to do some final edits, so it will be up much much faster. Also, ch. 4 is my absolute favorite that I've written so far, we get to meet a new character, Raven Reyes, aka the love of my life . . . so stay tuned! As always, questions, comments, concerns, and criticisms (of the constructive variety) are very welcome :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Clarke, pssst, Clarke_ came a disembodied voice.It was echoing all around her, and no matter where she looked, there was only darkness.A faint light materialized ahead of her, drawing her attention.The closer she got, the more it burned.She wanted to turn away, to go back, but she couldn’t.It just got closer and closer, the burn becoming more intense.No, wait, it wasn’t a burn, more like a stabbing, like a dull stabbing.Or maybe it was an ache, a dull but intense ache.Yeah, that’s what it was.  

Clarke Griffin’s eyes fluttered open.The ache was still there, much to her dismay.Buried deep under her covers, if she stayed completely still, she could almost pretend her head didn’t feel like it was about to be split open. _What if I just never moved again, what is the likely hood this headache will go away?_ As though the universe heard her plea, the blanket above her began to shift.A glass of water was shoved in her face, and Clarke winced as condensation dripped onto her forehead.

“What the hell–“ she started, shoving the covers off of her.Clarke was silenced by a thin callousedhand covering her mouth almost immediately.

“ _Shhhhh_ ,” Raven Reyes was sitting on the edge of her bed looking meaningfully toward the lump of sheets at the end of her bed.Clarke looked at her housemate like she had grown three heads.After a few more pointed looks towards the end of her bed, Raven slowly withdrew her hand.

“Thought you might be wanting these,” Raven said with a smirk, holding out two small pills and the glass of water.  

“Mmm, yes,” Clarke propped herself up on her elbows and reached out, “thanks Raven, you’re a godsend.” She placed the pills on her tongue and took a sip of water.Glancing at Raven she saw that her friends ponytail was drooping more than usual and strands of it were plastered to her neck.Clarke was also pretty sure she could identify the strong smell of sweat,“were you at physical therapy?”

Raven rolled her eyes and sighed, “waste of a perfectly good Saturday morning if you ask me.”Raven’s hand wandered down to her left knee, tracing the edge of a wide velcro strap.The strap was attached to a complicated looking brace that covered a large portion of her leg.  

“How was it?” Clarke asked tentatively, putting the glass down on the table beside her bed.Raven appeared to consider her question while running her finger along the edge of the fraying velcro.

“It was whatever,” Raven muttered, tugged on a loose thread.Her nostrils flaring as she let out a heavy breath. 

“Raven,” Clarke said softly, studying her friends face.Raven’s brow was furrowed and her lips were twisted into a scowl.Her eyes were staring daggers at the chunky contraption strapped around her leg.Clarke wasn’t fooled, she could see the misty sheen in Raven’s eyes.

“My leg sucks and this brace is a piece of crap, what else is there to talk about,” Raven said grumpily.She ripped off the thread she had been toying with, and threw it carelessly onto the ground.Suddenly looking up, she trained her dark brown eyes on Clarke’s.Her face had lost all traces of contempt.Raven had clearly switched gears, and judging by the arch in her single raised eyebrow, Clarke was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it. “How about we talk about your new lady friend?”

“What the hell are you talking about,”Clarke said, rather loudly.Raven shushed her immediately, tilting her head toward the pile of blankets again.“Oh my god,” Clarke exclaimed as realization hit her.There was no need for Raven to shush her this time, she slapped a hand over her mouth almost immediately.As her own eyes widened in shock, the mischievous look on Ravens face grew more smug.Clarke could had a faint memory of the leggy brunette who’d been her drinking buddy in the art room draped over her shoulder as she stumbled back to her apartment.

“You know I’m not one to judge Clarke,” Raven began throwing her long ponytail over her shoulder, “but I’m little bit offended that you didn’t even tell me you were going out.”Raven held up her hand in front of her, pretending to examine her nails.Clarke knew she was just trying to get her to feel guilty.Raven spent most of her spare time tinkering around in the machine shop, and her nail beds were almost always ripped to shreds.They both knew she had absolutely no interest the state of her manicure

“Raven, it wasn’t like that,” Clarke said immediately.Raven let out a long suffering sigh.  

“I get it, she’s your type, tall, tan, and absolutely gorgeous, you just couldn’t resist,” Clarke narrowed her eyes at Ravens theatrics.She resented the tone in her friends voice that suggested she went weak at the knees whenever she encountered someone who was her “type”.  

“I’ll have you know that I have plenty of self control, thank you very much,” Clarke huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.Raven cracked a smile.

“Relax,” Raven swatted her arm, “I’m just messing with you.”Clarke pursed her lips, refusing to let Raven think she had won.“Sooooo,” Raven drew out the word, “tell me all the gory details, what was it like getting back in the saddle after sitting on the sidelines for so long.”Raven pouted her lips as Clarke reached out to smack her.“That bad, huh?All you need is a bit more practice and–” this time Raven had to lean out of the way to doge Clarke’s hand.

“First off, shut up, she’s literally right there,” Clarke said, throwing a worried glance in the direction of the end of her bed.It was clear there was no need to worry.The pile of blankets that continued to rise and fall at the same lazy pace, the girl beneath them clearly fast asleep.“Second off, nothing like that happened, you pervert,” Clarke fought a smile as Raven shrugged off the slight, “and third of all, we bumped into each other outside of Wallace hall, and she seemed like she could use a friend.”Clarke used her elbows to push herself up into a sitting position.It was a decision she soon regretted, as the pounding in her head reminded her that she was to avoid movement at all costs.

“Shit,” she moaned squeezing her eyes shut and reaching up to cradle her head. 

“Wow, it must really suck to be you,” Raven said in a faux-sympathetic voice.Clarke would have given her a dirty look if she wasn’t devoting all of her energy to staying completely and one hundred percent still.She settled for an annoyed groan.  

“Anyways, I’m about to go make something greasy and delicious,” Raven said brushing off Clarke’s annoyance like it was no big deal.“You should wake up your hot new friend, and then maybe go take a shower because you reek of vodka and paint fumes,” Raven said with a throw away smirk.She placed her hands on the bed beside her and made a move to stand up.Raven threw her weight onto her right leg, but it wasn’t enough to give her the momentum she needed to slide off the bed completely.Clarke reached out a hand, but Raven swatted it away.

“I’m fine.”Raven shimmied her body to the edge of the bed and pushed off again.She stood there for a moment, nostrils flared, while she regained her balance.“Empanada’s sound good?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Empanada’s sound amazing,” Clarke said, her mouth already watering at the thought.

***

Clarke had pretty much given up on waking Octavia.If it weren’t for the rhythmic rise and fall of Octavia’s chest, Clarke might have though the girl was dead.No matter how much Clarke called Octavia’s name, or how loudly she shut her closet door, the brunette stayed firmly asleep.If Clarke had been trying to wake up Raven, she probably would’ve just shoved Raven off the edge of the bed by this point.However, that sort of tough love approach required a certain level of friendship that Clarke was pretty sure she hadn’t reached with Octavia.Shrugging, Clarke grabbed a pair of shorts and a loose teeshirt from the top of her clean laundry pile and headed out into the kitchen. 

Raven was deeply engrossed in frying empanadas, and didn’t notice when Clarke slid onto a bar stool at the island.Throwing her clothes down on the counter, Clarke leaned her head on her hands and groaned loudly. 

“Why are hangovers a thing that exist,” Clarke whined, kneading her forehead gently. 

“Because you're a fucking lightweight, and have self control issues,” Raven said without missing a beat.“Shit,” she hissed a moment later, throwing the spatula down on the counter sucking on the corner of her thumb.

“Karma’s a bitch,” Clarke said with a tilted smile, as she lifted her head to make sure Raven was okay. 

“I hope you burn yourself on an empanada,” Raven said under breath, as she gingerly picked up the spatula again.  

Clarke rolled her eyes as she got off the barstool and grabbed a paper towel.She folded it up and put it down on the counter over the pool of oil the spatula had left behind.  

“Yeah, yeah,” Raven said with a wave of her hand.Clarke was more than used to cleaning up after Raven’s messes.Before Clarke had moved in with Raven, she had never considered herself to be a neat freak.In fact, she probably would have described herself as a rather messy person.However, that had changed the moment she walked into Raven Reyes’s dorm room.Raven was essentially a human tornado.It wasn’t like she did it on purpose, Raven would just pick something up, carry it around with her until she forgot it was in her hand and then set it down a mile away from where it had originated.Clarke suspected it was because Raven’s brain ran a mile a minute, and Raven didn’t really have room for trivial thoughts about putting things back where they came from. 

Clarke’s train of thought was interrupted by a buzzing noise coming from the counter beside Raven.  

“Ay dios mio! Can you make that thing stop,” Raven said exasperatedly, as she added a golden brown empanada to the growing plate beside the stove.  

Clarke looked around, and saw an ancient looking smartphone vibrating next to the toaster.She reached over and saw the words _Big Brother_ flashing across the screen.“It’s Octavia’s, I think her brother’s calling,” Clarke said, as a picture of the guy from yesterday stared back at her.He looked younger in the picture, his hair was longer, and curlier.There was a goofy grin stretched across his face, and he was squinting at whoever was taking the photo.  

“Well tell him to stop, it’s annoying the crap out of me,” Raven said, fussing with the frying pan in front of her.She turned off the burner and dropped the spatula down on the counter nearby to the designated paper towel.Raven wiped her hands on the towel that hung off the stove door and held her hand out.“Give it to me,” was all she said. 

“What are you gonna do?” Clarke said, gripping the phone tightly.  

Raven made a grab for it, her eyes glancing over the screen before she tapped the answer button.

“Rave – no,” Clarke said getting up, but it was too late.Raven had already pressed the phone up to ear, and was holding up a finger, indicating Clarke should be quiet. 

Clarke sighed and sat back down on the stool.She reached around Raven for an empanada, hissing slightly as it burned her fingers before she dropped it onto a paper towel in front of her.Ripping it half, she blew on one piece absentmindedly while straining her ears to listen to the voice on the other end. 

“Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but could you tone down the overbearing big brother act,” Raven said after a moment.Clarke held her breath, she didn’t really know Bellamy well enough to predict how he would react to Raven’s bluntness.She did however remember enough of Octavia’s ramblings from last night to know that he would probably not take kindly to the phrase _overbearing big brother._  

“Give me the phone,” Clarke hissed, holding out her hand.Raven waved her off.  

“Because this phone hasn’t stopped ringing for the past hour and it’s driving me up the – fuck you too, asshole – ”it was at this point that Clarke was able to grab the phone out of Raven’s hand.Raven gave her a dirty look, but didn’t fight her on it.  

Clarke continued to give Raven a stern look as she raised the phone to her own ear.  

“– what gives you the right to tell me,” came the gruff voice from yesterday on the other end of the line.Bellamy sounded thoroughly annoyed, as well as a bit defensive.  

“Hi Bellamy,” Clarke said cringing slightly at the fake cheer her voice.

“ _Princess?_ ”

“What? No, not prince – ” she broke off, taking a small breath, “It’s Clarke, we met yesterday,” she continued, trying to keep her tone cheerful.Clarke was more than experienced at diffusing the arguments that Raven liked to get into with anyone and everyone who crossed her path.She ignored the raised eyebrow that Raven was giving her. 

“Where’s my sister,” Bellamy demanded.Clarke took a deeper breath this time, it seemed that her first impression of Bellamy had not been a fluke.He was just a grumpy person in general.  

“She’s asleep in my bed,” Clarke said calmly.  

“What the hell did you do to her?” Clarke pursed her lips at his tone. 

“What do you mean _what did I do to her_?What does that even – what are you implying?”Keeping her tone even was becoming more difficult.Clarke was starting to think that Octavia hadn’t been exaggerating when she said that Bellamy was an overprotective dickhead.  

“I didn’t mean, I just meant, shit.Just–ugh–put Octavia on the phone,” Bellamy was beginning to sound more exasperated that annoyed.There was a part of Clarke that pitied him, he wasn’t trying to be a total jackass, he was trying to look out for his sister.The other part of Clarke however, was not interested in being told what to do.

“I already told you that Octavia is asleep, and even if she wasn’t, I think she’s made it perfectly clear that she’s not interested in talking right now,” Clarke said.Raven’s eyebrows were reaching historic heights, and Clarke was afraid that if Raven didn’t get them under control soon, they might tear right off her face.

“I–Who do you–ugh,” Bellamy sputtered on the other end.Clarke waited patiently for him to regain some semblance of self control.She heard a deep sigh from Bellamy and the sound of another voice saying something undistinguishable.“Will you just tell Octavia that I called,” he said, sounding a bit defeated.  

“I mean, I think the 100 missed calls will relay the message just fine, but I’ll pass along the sentiment,” Clarke said flatly.She knew she was being a little meaner than necessary, but there was a pounding in her head that the ibuprofen wasn’t doing a damn thing about, and she was seriously beginning to worry for the state of Raven’s face.

“Thanks, I guess? Whatever, see you aro–“

“Bye Bellamy,” Clarke said, hastily pressing the end call button.  

“So hot new friend’s hot brother is kind of a dickhead,” Raven offers, nodding her head at her own revelation. 

“Understatement of the century,” Clarke mumbled, taking a bit of her forgotten empanada.  

“Still,” Raven began, pulling out a stool and propping herself up on it. “I’d hit that.”

“Oh my god Raven, keep it in your pants,” Clarke rolled her eyes at her friend.Raven merely shrugged, tilting her head to indicate she wasn’t ashamed of her words. 

“On a scale from one to ten, how pissed did he sound?” came a voice, still gravely with sleep, from behind Clarke.She spun around to see Octavia peeking her head around the door, looking sheepish.  

“About a seven,” Raven said at the same time Clarke said, “He didn’t sound too annoyed.” 

Octavia stepped out from behind the corner, her hands knotted nervously in front of her.She had stripped out of her leather skirt from yesterday and was wearing just a pair of lilac underwear and tight fitting maroon tank top.Octavia looked like a super model, which baffled Clarke, because she knew Octavia had drank just as much, if not more than she had.Clarke couldn’t help but think that the timid gesture looked out of place on Octavia.  

“He probably just needs to cool off a little,” Clarke said easily.She waved Octavia over.“This is Raven,” Clarke said, and Raven held up a hand in acknowledgement. 

“You’re like a solid ten out of ten,” Raven said conversationally, handing Octavia an empanada on a paper towel.Clarke rolled her eyes, but Octavia didn’t seem bothered by Raven’s comment.

“Raven has no filter,” Clarke said, giving Raven an admonishing glare.  

“Not a problem,” Octavia said to Clarke, sitting herself down on a stool.Octavia’s feet dangled above the floor and she kicked them softly as she bit into the empanada.“Hot,” Octavia said with her mouth full, “ten out of ten, too,” she added. 

“Me, or the food?” Raven asked with a smirk in Clarke’s direction.

“Both,” Octavia groaned lightly, taking another huge bite.  

“Clearly you two will get along just fine,” Clarke said with a sigh and a smile, pointedly ignoring Raven’s wiggling eyebrows. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo I love Raven Reyes with all my heart, she is the greatest human to have ever not walked this earth, in my personal opinion. Next chapter is going to be Octavia's point of view, it was actually supposed to be Bellamy . . . but then I sort of got carried away with this chapter and wasn't able to fit all the things I wanted into it. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I meant it when I said it was going to be slow burn. Don't worry though, you'll get some Bellarke moments soon enough. Anyway, in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, comments, concerns, all that good stuff.


	5. Chapter 5

Octavia was sitting cross legged on the middle cushion of a black leather couch. Clarke had went to take a shower, leaving Octavia alone in the living room. She was absentmindedly scrolling through her twitter feed, when she heard a door open behind her.

“Hey, so you're a freshie right?” The sound of the footsteps coming closer were uneven and Octavia could here running water coming from the bathroom. It was probably Raven coming out of her room.

“A freshman, yeah,” Octavia said, turning her head to confirm her suspicions. Raven was leaning with her arms on the back of the couch, her hair hanging limp and still slightly damp around her shoulders.

“That means you have lab on Wednesdays right?” Raven kept her arm on the back of the couch as she stepped around it and took a seat next to Octavia. She was wearing shorts now, and her left leg was bare. Octavia could still see the fading red impressions from the straps of the brace Raven was wearing earlier. She nodded her head in response to Raven’s question. “What time?” Raven asked with pursed lips, squinting her eyes at Octavia.

“Two,” Octavia said with a grimace as she though about the lab report she still hadn’t started.

“Fantastic, wanna come to Tipsy Tuesdays at the Dropship?” Raven asked eagerly.

Octavia felt a jolt of excitement course through her. She was starting to think that her night and subsequent day with Clarke was a bit of a fluke. Clarke and Raven were friendly enough, but they seemed very close, close enough that they weren’t really looking to expand their friend group. Which was totally fine with Octavia, she was more than used to being on the outside of friend groups. She was the kind of person that was always added as the third member when told to work in pairs. She would be there for the duration of the project, a friendly face to chat with in the hall; but when the project was done, she would fade into the background again. It could get pretty lonely, but she always had Bellamy, she was used to it.

Things had changed when she came to Ark Institute. Octavia was still deciding if that change was for the better. She saw Bellamy less often now, only when they could line up their free time and grab a bite to eat. Or when she brought her dirty laundry home, and pilfered quarters off of Bellamy; the machines at home were only fifty cents per load compared to the outrageous dollar twenty five at Ark. Octavia had spent the first few weekends at home, hanging out with Bellamy and Miller. It wasn’t just that she missed her big brother, she also wanted to make sure he was adjusting well to living on his own. Despite what Bellamy might think, he was not the only one invested in the well being of his sibling. After a few weekends Octavia felt like she wasn’t really giving dorm life enough of a chance and she thought staying at school might help her bond with her roommate, make friends, all that good stuff. Unfortunately that idea had backfired spectacularly.

Turns out her roommate Indra was a part of ROTC. Indra had weekend training sessions and somehow managed to be even more irritable over the weekend than she was during the week. Indra made it pretty clear that she had no time for Octavia, so hanging out with her roommate was off the table. It also seemed like Octavia had missed all of the freshman desperate to make a human connection parties, so she was out of luck on the new friend front as well. She ended up spending weekend curled up on her bed watching youtube videos, and desperately trying to ignore the looks of reproach from Indra. All in all, it made for a pretty lonely first weekend away from home.

When Octavia met up with Bellamy for breakfast on the Monday following, she was more than ready for a good rant about how sucky her weekend had been. When he showed up with two coffees and her favorite bagel from Grounders ready to celebrate his baby sisters first weekend on her own, she didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. Bellamy had looked so happy and proud, and she didn’t want to be the one to take that away from him. That had been the start of a rather unfortunate pattern of behavior that Octavia couldn’t see a way out of. Octavia felt like for the first time, her big brother had a chance at living a normal life. He could stay out as late as he wanted, he could have girls over without having to worry about setting a bad example for his little sister. Even though Bellamy would never admit to it, Octavia knew that raising your baby sister was a sucky way to spend your college career.

It was then that Octavia made the decision to no longer let Bellamy put his happiness on hold for her. She was old enough to take care of herself and she wasn’t going to let him baby her. Octavia knew from years of experience that Bellamy would never leave her on her own in times of need. He would do whatever it takes to make sure she was happy, because that was just the kind of person Bellamy was. The only sure fire way Octavia could think to make sure that Bellamy was happy, was to let him think she was happy.

Octavia was sure that Bellamy would see through her act right away. He knew her better than anyone else on this planet, but if Bellamy thought she was insincere, he never said anything about it. It became easy. A few well timed smiles, a simple throwaway remark about how well her classes were going, and then she would shift the conversation to talk about him.

“Yo, Octavia,” Raven said, waving her hand in front of Octavia’s face.

Octavia blinked rapidly, “Sorry, I got distracted.” Octavia ran her hand through her hair, while Raven looked on, halfway between confusion and amusement.

“Everything okay?” Raven asked. Octavia noticed that Raven’s voice lacked it’s usual edge.

“Yeah,” Octavia said, nodding her head firmly.

“Yeah to the dropship?” Raven asked, the playfulness sneaking back into her tone.

“I have a stupid lab report due on Wednesday, and I haven’t even started it,” Octavia said, trying not to let her disappointment show.

“What class?” Raven asked, pursing her lips.

“Chem,” Octavia said lifting the side of her mouth in disgust. Octavia was far from a slacker, she worked hard in all her classes and was doing pretty well. Chemistry however, was sort of kicking her butt.

“Pssh, no problem,” Raven said, waving her hand. Raven reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Octavia watched Ravens fingers fly across the screen. In a moment, Raven looked up, with a grin on her face. “Problem solved, come over when you're done with classes on Tuesday and Jasper will help you. You’ll have it finished long before it’s time to head out.”

Octavia stared at her, unable to say anything. Help with her dreaded chemistry lab and a night out with friends? The offer made Octavia want to dive across the couch and hug Raven. “Problem solved,” was all she said, but she wasn’t able to stop the smile from spreading onto her face.

* * *

Octavia stood in front the floor length mirror that was bolted to the inside of her wardrobe door and studied her reflection critically. Does this say I’m fun and easy to be around but I have a unique set of personality traits that would be a valuable asset to your friend group? she thought, pushing her curtain of dark hair behind her ear. Octavia raked her eyes over the plain black jersey knit dress she had picked out this morning.

“Too freshman orientation,” Octavia muttered with squinted eyes. Glancing toward the the closet, she frowned at the number of empty hangers. It had been two weeks since Octavia last did laundry. She had been meaning to bring it home over the weekend, but things with Bellamy escalated and the prospect of wearing dirty clothes was much more appealing than getting lectured at by Bellamy. Octavia was beginning to regret that decision, but even if she had enough quarters to do her laundry in the outrageously price school machines, that still wouldn’t help her now.

Octavia was done with her Tuesday classes, and she had stopped by her room to drop off her calculus book before heading over to Clarke and Raven’s house. Then she was struck with a crippling case of indecision over her outfit choice.  
Octavia peered at the mound of laundry piled up in the bottom of her closet. Scanning it critically, she saw the rolled hem her favorite capris sticking up near the top. She hesitated for a moment, and then reached down to grab them. Sidestepping the small avalanche she had caused, Octavia held them up in front of her. They were barely wrinkled at all, and had no obvious stains that she could see. Bringing the pants to her face, she sniffed them gingerly.

Practically fresh from the wash, she thought, resolving to never let her laundry get this bad again. It only took her a moment to rifle through her drawers, before she found a white crochet halter top that was crumpled in a ball. She quickly shrugged off her dress and pulled the top over her head.

Octavia was about to lock her door behind her when her phone started ringing. Letting out a sigh she reached into her pocket. Octavia already knew it was Bellamy before she looked at the screen, he had called her at least three times every day since their fight in the dining hall on Friday. Staring at the screen, Bellamy’s face flashed at her. She felt a twinge of indecision in her chest when she looked at the big goofy grin and bright eyes staring back at her. Bellamy was undeniably a major dickhead, and what he said was out of line, just thinking about the words he said brought a flush anger to her cheeks. He was still her dorky older brother, and Octavia honestly couldn’t think of any words that he could say to her that would make her turn away for good.

“Shit,” Octavia muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tapped the answer button. Holding the phone up to her ear, she held her breath in anticipation of the lecture she was sure to receive.

“O?” came Bellamy’s voice on the other end and Octavia’s heart twitched. She could hear the worry and surprise in her brother’s voice.

“Who else would it be,” Octavia replied automatically. She grimaced slightly, she hadn’t meant to sound so standoffish, it was just sort of a habit.

“I didn’t think you’d pick up,” Bellamy said quietly.

“Well I did. So what did you want?” Octavia said, putting her keys into the lock and turning them.

“I – I wanted to check in, make sure everything’s going okay,” Bellamy said.

“I’m fine,” Octavia said, putting her keys into her pocket. She jiggled the handle of the door to double check it was locked, the last thing she needed was to be chewed out by her terrifying roommate for leaving the door unlocked.

“O, you don’t have to – I want you to tell me the truth. How are things really going?”

“Look Bell, I don’t really have time for . . . this, right now,” Octavia said as she hurried down the hallway. She had already texted Raven when she was leaving her calculus lecture and then she had wasted a bunch of time worrying about her outfit.

“What do you mean you don’t have time for this right now?” Bellamy said, his voice sounding strangled. Octavia rolled her eyes, Bellamy could be so overdramatic.

“I’ve places to be, people to see–“

“You don’t have any friends,” Bellamy interrupted.

“Fuck off, Bell,” Octavia said, throwing the door open. She blinked, momentarily blinded by the sun, and then reached into the side pocket of her backpack for her sunglasses.

“That’s what you said in the dining hall,” Bellamy said.

“Yeah, well, we both said a lot of things in the dining hall,” Octavia said bitterly. “Maybe things are changing,” Octavia said after a moment of silence, with less aggression in her voice. She didn’t really know how Clarke and Raven about her, if they considered her a friend, or just some random freshman passing through. Whatever the case, Octavia was going to enjoy it for as long it lasted.

“Are you hanging out with that Princess again?” Bellamy asked, and Octavia felt the frown on her face before she registered what he had said.

“Excuse me?” Octavia said her pulling her attention back to Bellamy, “her name is Clarke, and yeah so what?”

“I don’t know if you should be hanging out with her O, she’s bad news,” Bellamy began.

“Are you kidding me? You met her once,” Octavia sputtered. She was definitely regretting picking up the phone, she should’ve let it go to voicemail just like every other call.

“Just be careful O, don’t –“

“I’m done with this conversation Bellamy,” Octavia said.

“O wait–“ Bellamy began.

“Bye, love you,” Octavia said quickly, hanging up the phone. She let out a loud breath of air, startling someone who had been walking toward her. “You never heard someone breath before?” she shot at them as she passed. She typed out a quick message on her phone to Raven, letting her know she was almost to their apartment and then shoved her phone into her pocket.

* * *

Octavia debated for a moment whether she should ring the doorbell or knock. She eyed the little black button with distaste and decided to settle for knocking.

“Come in,” yelled a voice from the other side. Octavia was pretty sure it was Raven’s. She reached for the door knob but when she turned it, the door stayed firmly closed.

“Shit, Jas, go unlock the fucking door. I told you Tav was coming over,” Raven yelled and Octavia felt a rush of warmth when she hear Tav. People only gave each other nicknames if they wanted them to stick around, right?

The door swung open and Octavia stood face to face with a tall gangly boy who had shaggy brown hair and a hint of stubble. His face broke into a wide smile when he looked at her.

“Tav, I presume?” he said, stepping aside with a flourish. Octavia walked in slowly, fighting a smile at his eccentric behavior. He closed the door behind her. “Jasper Jordan at your service, chemist extraordinaire,” he drawled, with a bow of his head.

“Jas, stop being such a fucking weirdo,” Raven said, not looking up from her her spot on the ground. She was sitting in front of the coffee table, surrounded by a bunch of scraps of metal. Raven was bent low over a pile of wires and had a soldering iron in one hand.

“Come on Raven, let me have my fun,” Jasper said with a roll of his eyes. Octavia just looked between the two of them, unsure of where she should go. Jasper turned his attention back to her, “I heard you have a chem lab to do?”

“Yeah, this class is kicking my ass,” Octavia said with a groan.

“Say no more, step into my office,” Jasper said, walking towards the kitchen.

“His office is the kitchen table,” came a voice from the couch. Octavia looked for the source and saw a Korean guy with a mop of black hair stretched out on the couch.

“Shut up Monty,” Jasper said. The kid on the couch, Monty, didn’t seem too concerned. He just kept staring intensely at a tiny green circuit board that sat on his lap.

* * *

“Done . . . and done, for real this time,” Octavia said triumphantly, hitting the save keys on her laptop. “Get a load of this,” she said, pushing her laptop toward Jasper who was shuffling through a stack of papers. He stopped shuffling when Octavia’s laptop appeared in front of him. Jasper immediately began scanning the screen, his lips moving slightly as he read over Octavia’s report. Octavia watched him carefully, looking for a sign that he had stumbled across yet another error.

“Looks good,” Jasper said, turning the laptop towards her.

“It’s good?” Octavia asked, a buzz of excitement building in her stomach.

“Looks good,” Jasper repeated with a smile. Octavia knew she should probably contain her excitement, at best she was here on a trial basis only, and she didn’t want to scare anyone off. However, she had just finished her lab report in under three hours, and this was by far the best lab report she’d written all semester. Before Octavia could stop herself, she threw her arms around Jasper’s neck and hugged him tightly.

“Jasper Jordan you are my hero,” she exclaimed. Jasper seemed a little dazed, and she had enough sense to realize she was channeling her big brother and his flair for the dramatics. “I’m sorry, I’m just really grateful for your help,” she said pulling back quickly. Octavia quickly composed herself and reached for her computer to distract herself from the blush she desperately hoped wasn’t spreading to her cheeks.

“I’m glad I could be of service,” Jasper said after a moment.

“Dude, you’re drooling,” Monty said from the couch. Octavia glanced over and saw that Monty hadn’t even lifted his head.

“Mmmmm,” Jasper grumbled in Monty’s general direction, getting up walking to the fridge. “Pizza or Mac and Cheese?” Jasper asked, opening the freezer and digging around.

“Ew neither,” Raven said immediately, looking up from her spot on the floor. “Wait until Clarke gets home, she’ll make us some real food.”

“Clarke’s not making anything,” came a voice from the other side of the door. Less than a second later a rather disheveled Clarke appeared in the doorway. She was holding a massive stack of books and almost all of her hair had fallen out of it’s bun. “Clarke is exhausted,” she said, walking over to the kitchen table where Octavia was sitting, “ and starving. Make both.” Clarke dropped her books on the table with a heavy thud.

“Yes ma’am,” Jasper said, pulling a frozen pizza out of the freezer.

“What’s with the stick up your ass?” Raven asked, returning to her project.

“It’s nothing,” Clarke said, pulling out her hairband. “Hey Tav,” Clarke said, throwing a weary smile in Octavia’s direction, “Rave said you’re coming with us tonight?”

“Yup,” Octavia said lightly.

Clarke fluffed her hair with her fingers and put the hair tie on her wrist, “cool, it’ll be be fun.” Clarke made her way over to Raven and tugged on the end of her ponytail as she passed behind her. “Can I borrow that green top of yours?” Clarke asked Raven.

Raven snorted, “sure, if you can find it,” she set the soldering iron down with a triumphant grin, “fixed it, better than new.” Monty looked up, eyeing Raven with suspicion. “Go ahead take a look,” Raven said sucking her teeth and holding out the jumble of metal and wires in front of her.

Monty got up from his spot on the couch and went over to inspect Raven’s work.

“God, you guys are going to scare Octavia away with all you’re weirdness,” Clarke said over her shoulder as she entered what Octavia assumed was Ravens bedroom.

“Nah, she’s secretly one of us, I can tell,” Jasper said from his spot at the island. He was scrolling through his phone while he waited for the water to boil, a box of store brand mac and cheese sitting open in front of him.

Octavia’s heart leapt at Jaspers words and she tried to suppress her smile, “my brother is way worse than you guys, and he’s a history nerd. I’ll take shop talk over classics any day.”

“See?” Raven said waving her hand in dismal of Clarke’s comment, she turned her attention back to Monty. “What did I tell you, flawless,” Raven smirked as Monty handed the wires back.

“I never doubted you for a second,” Monty said, smiling when Raven rolled her eyes.

* * *

The atmosphere in the Dropship was electric. The air was buzzing with energy and the room was crammed full of college kids at various levels of inebriation. Octavia followed closely behind Raven, who had a way of demanding personal space with a single glare. Raven was heading towards the bar, glancing back for a moment to do a head count.

“Five to start?” Raven asked, but she turned around before anyone could answer her. Octavia wanted to ask Raven what exactly she planned on ordering, but she felt Clarke’s hand clamp down on her arm. It took a moment before Octavia realized Clarke was steering her away from the bar. Unfortunately for Octavia, a moment was all it took for her to lock eyes with the surly looking bartender with overgrown bangs.

“Shit,” Octavia hissed under her breath, turning away and darting behind Clarke. “Shit, shit, shit!”

“Are you okay?” Clarke asked, her eyebrows knit with concern.  
Octavia’s heart was racing and she was feeling far from okay, but she swallowed thickly and put on a fake smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew,” she muttered reassuringly.

“Okay,” Clarke said slowly, her eyes still searching Octavia. After a beat, Clarke seemed to lose interest, “Let’s go find Monty and Jas, we can check if they found a spot.”

Octavia nodded and let Clarke lead her through the throngs of people. When they reached the table that Monty and Jasper had procured, Octavia found it hard to follow their conversation. All she could think about was the man behind the bar, would he tell her brother she was here? It wasn’t that she thought Bellamy would be particularly angry about her being at a bar. Bellamy knew that she drank on occasion, and as long as she was smart about it, and didn’t come home totally trashed, he was usually pretty okay with it. She was more worried about him marching down to the Dropship and making a scene. Octavia knew that she had already told Clarke a little more that she would have liked about her situation with Bellamy that night in the art room, but hearing about an explosive fight between siblings is a lot different that experiencing one first hand. Regardless of how much Clarke and her friends seemed to like her, Octavia was pretty certain that there is only so much strain a budding friendship can take, and a screaming matching in a bar crowded with your peers was probably over the line.

“Ah ha, I spy a Raven approaching,” Jasper said brightly, startling Octavia out of her revere.

“She looks pissed,” Monty noted.

Octavia silently agreed. It became clear that Raven was arguing with someone behind her, Octavia’s heart sunk when she heard the voice.

“I told you I had it under control,” Raven said darkly, slamming four bottles onto the table.

“And I told you I don’t serve to minors,” John Murphy shot back.

“I’m not a fucking minor,” Raven said, giving Murphy a look that would stop Octavia dead in her tracks.

“She is,” Murphy hissed, jabbing his thumb in Octavia’s direction. So much for avoiding a confrontation, Octavia thought.

“I told you I’d give her the fucking ginger ale,” Raven said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not gonna put the fate of my job in you’re hands,” Murphy said, setting the glass of ginger ale down in front of Octavia. “Here O,” he said tersely.

“You never gave a shit about it before,” Raven said, eyeing Murphy like she was sizing him up for a fight.  
Murphy glanced back at Octavia, and he must’ve felt the heat behind the glare she was giving him because he seemed to deflate a little.

He turned back to Raven and muttered, “fuck you Reyes,” before heading back to the bar.

“Fuck you Murphy,” Raven called after him. Octavia sat perfectly still, waiting to see how the rest of the table would react, but no one seemed too bothered by the exchange. The rest of them just reached across the table and grabbed a beer. Raven turned back to the group, she looked surprisingly chipper to Octavia.

“Murphy’s extra friendly tonight,” Jasper said, raising an eyebrow, “something about you has him all riled up.” Octavia looked up to see Jasper staring pointedly in her direction.

“He’s friends with my brother,” Octavia muttered, looking down at her ginger ale with distaste. Now that Murphy had confirmed she was here, it was only a matter of time before Bellamy showed up, she was certain of it.

“As in the hot dickhead?” Raven asked.

“Rave,” Clarke admonished, throwing a cocktail napkin across the table.

“One in the same,” Octavia sighed, swirling the straw in her drink.

“Shit,” Raven said with a grimace. She looked down at her beer, “you need it more than I do.” Raven pushed the bottle in front of her.

Octavia fought a smirk, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, “I thought you told Murphy you could be trusted to give the ginger ale.”

“Pssh, I’m not afraid of that scrawny little punk,” Raven said, reaching for Octavia’s ginger ale. “Plus, I said I’d give you the ginger ale. I did not say that I wouldn’t also give you other things,” Raven smirked as she gulped down the ginger ale. “Refreshing,” she said, letting out a burp, “now, who wants shots?”


End file.
